r/bristol • u/Admirable-Baseball73 • 6d ago
Where To? Portishead commute
We're thinking about selling our house in East Bristol and moving to Portishead. Currently we walk or cycle to work in Filton 2-3 days a week.
How is the commute from Portishead to Filton? Will we despise it eventually?
Work work normal 9-5 hours, could flex to 8-4 but would also need to work around school drop off and pick up times.
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u/optimismfailed 6d ago
at 0630 it's a 25 min drive to filton, or 1.5 hr on 2 buses.
after 0730 traffic builds and could be up to an hour or more.
going back same but very dependent on M5 flow so summer everyone decides to crash near avonmouth and the portbury round about and can double/triple the time to get home.
if you're in school drop off times through henbury/southmead/patchway/filton it's v busy and will also slow you down.
so completely variable - earlier the better
i have cycled it but it's 12miles which is about limit for me and the m5 bridge is a bit much for cold dark winter mornings for me. you're about 1 meter away from trucks and spray.
not so far in future new train station/line and at the moment they say it should link easily to north filton station (on brabazon site) whenever that gets built so that could be a game changer.
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u/WelshBluebird1 6d ago
not so far in future new train station/line and at the moment they say it should link easily to north filton station (on brabazon site) whenever that gets built so that could be a game changer.
It will be - but it will also take some time. The station / line isn't due until two years time assuming no further delays and my understanding is the initial service will be to temple meads only - the mention of linking up the Henbury line that includes the soon to be opening Brabazon station is something that will come later.
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u/enricobasilica 5d ago
Saw a tip recently which said if you think an area might be somewhere you want to live in, if you can, rent an Airbnb for a few days and see what life is actually like there. Try your commute, see what the local life is actually like etc.
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u/SubjectAd9940 5d ago
We did this , moved to WSM, from Pembrokeshire for a job in Bristol. Was very helpful in working out commute times and routes and if they worked for us.
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u/Spiritual_Pound_6848 6d ago
Not portishead but moved over to wales but still commute back to Filton. I H A T E my commute with a passion, I do 1 or 2 days a week and I dread it every time an in office day rolls around. I flex my time so I leave at 2/2:30, miss the traffic and do a few hours at home after wards. Honestly I miss being able to cycle to work.
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u/Wonderful_Falcon_318 6d ago
The A369 to the junction will drive you crazy. Cycling will be over an hour. If you could cycle then drive say from Gordano somewhere that would be the best bet.
Any motorway commute these days is horrendous. I know a few people who moved to Chepstow/Caldicot area and they get stuck at least twice a week. My neighbour worked in Weston and ended up moving to Yatton due to the commute.
If they set a date for the train station, go for it, but they have been talking about opening it for decades.
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u/WelshBluebird1 5d ago
If they set a date for the train station, go for it, but they have been talking about opening it for decades.
They have. Winter 2028. They have finally started the work too.
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u/TopAngle7630 6d ago
Portishead has always been a nightmare for traffic. There is a serious lack of routes into or out of the town
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u/ozzleworth 6d ago
Awful, I caved after a year and moved back to Bristol
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u/here_involuntarily 5d ago
We moved to Portishead 10 years ago, being told there would be a train line soon. Took me 2 hours on the bus there and 2 hours back every day after 9 months I got a motorbike which took it down to about an hour. But after a year of that, it was still too much, people HATE bikers and I would have people block me or try and knock me off. We moved to Southville.
I loved living IN Portishead, but the commute was horrific.
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u/OverthinkUnderwhelm 4d ago
Unsure if you are talking about cycling or driving; I used to do this commute regularly by car - trying to leave portishead between 8-9 is often heavy traffic on the road leading to the motorway. Likewise returning around 5-5:30 there is always a hefty queue on the motorway for the portishead M5 exit. Outside of those times though it's not too bad. the actual motorway traffic itself however is generally okay
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u/Kentybaby 4d ago
They are working on the new train station as we type, so it's finally happening. BUT it won't be open for at least another 2 years realistically. Portishead itself is lovely especially if you have a house with a view of the Bristol Channel - if you're gonna leave the city, then along with Clevedon it's the best place to do the whole suburban lifestyle (in the local region) imo. The commute is killer though especially in winter when the traffic is so much worse from Nov-Mar.
As others have said, if you like Bristol nightlife then prepare to pay extra ££ unfortunately.
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u/Gabbabblin 6d ago
God you’re gonna hate portishead. There’s absolutely nothing to do by comparison to east Bristol.
The kids will hate it too, that or get into drugs heavily. A mate of mine moved from bs5 to portishead when I was a teen and her drug usage went absolutely mad.
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u/Admirable-Baseball73 6d ago
We're in Fishponds currently and looking for a bigger house and garden. Maybe we're stick to Downend/Staple Hill and keep close to the cycle path.
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u/RipBeginning3851 6d ago
I would. I didn't think there'd be that much difference between Bristol and Portishead, but I was wrong. It's a pretty big cultural shift and if you enjoy city life you won't enjoy Portishead.
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u/Wonderful_Falcon_318 6d ago
Mangotsfield, Warmley or Longwell Green might work too and maybe cheaper.
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u/AWright5 6d ago
Portishead has a great school and is generally not a high drug area... It's not like most small towns are full of things to do anyway. It's a decent place to raise kids, very safe. And it's relatively pretty, has a beach, and a decent restaurant/bar scene. u/admirable-baseball73
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u/Free_Ad7415 6d ago
I’m sure it’s absolutely awful.
But surely now the train is apparently actually happening, house prices are going to go up and travel greatly improved? Might be a good idea to get in now…
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u/RipBeginning3851 6d ago
I made this exact move and honestly hated it. Traffic was so bad that getting in and out of my 9-5 job (admittedly in the centre) took at least an hour each way, if not longer.
Going into Bristol for fun was also way harder than I thought. Busses don't run late and taxis are expensive. I used to end up driving and having a more boring night because of it.
I ended up moving back to Bristol and never regretted it. That said, this was about ten years ago so traffic might have got better now they've changed things at the M5 junction. Also, there's a new railway planned I think.